Mysteries Unsolved
by cursedgirls13
Summary: Naohito Sakuragi; a blooming detective with the wits and sharp tongue to break down even the most skilled criminals. He's one of the best London, England has, along with two other young men; Kakeru Manabe and Yuki Sohma. As they solve crime after crime, the culprits become more and more shrewd, as well as deadly. What's in store for London's young but talented detectives?
1. Chapter 1 : The Requital Assassination

**Hey, guys! I'm trying to write a story with a plot, which is proving to be quite difficult, but I'm up to the challenge. Haha. This'll be fun; mystery is my favorite genre of all times. - Makoto**

**_Disclaimer_ : I DO NOT own Fruits Basket. Thomas, Jacob and Arthur Berkeley are what I DO own.**

* * *

_The Requital Assassination, Part 1_

Naohito sighs, taking off his cap and running a hand through his hair as he steps into the office to report in. Being a police officer is tiring, but he does appreciate the fact that his job takes place outside, where he can admire the London "scenery".

"Hey, Nao!" An arm wraps around his small shoulders and a much appreciated warmth surrounds Naohito as detective Kakeru Manabe pulls him into a side embrace. It is chilly and rainy outside today, and Nao is still a bit cold even with a couple of light layers beneath his rain coat.

"Hello, Kakeru," he greets, trying to support the weight of the other, which proves quite difficult if you are merely the height of a middle school student. His supervisor, Makoto Takei, points at the two of them.

"Hey! Stop fooling around, you two!" A giggle enters the conversation.

"Oh, c'mon, Chief Takei! It's not 'fooling around', it's called 'sharing body warmth'." Kimi Toudou waltzes into the room with a bright smile on her face, while Naohito groans at them, gently shrugging Kakeru off.

"I swear you guys—" A laugh interrupts him, causing Makoto to smile brightly.

"Oh, Yuki, it's so good to see you!" A young man with swept silvery-grey hair and striking amethyst eyes, hidden behind thin-rimmed glasses, is leaning against a desk with an amused smile.

"Ugh, _you_." Naohito pretends to be disgusted. "What do you want?" Yuki Sohma mocks hurt.

"Wow, that, like, hurt a lot, Nao." The redhead rolls his eyes, but smiles slightly nonetheless.

"Oh, right. I just wanted to see you all wet and miserable."

"Well, good thing you're here. I wanted to see you dead."

* * *

"Tommy, do you have any clue on how to do problem fourteen?" A boy, sixteen years of age, asks his brother as they do homework in the dining room. Thomas Berkeley nods, shyly leaning over the table to lead Jacob Berkeley through the problem.

"You see how there is no number in front of the parentheses, Jake? That means that you have to multiply each number—" The doorbell interrupts him. Thomas and Jacob hear their father get up from the couch.

"I'll get it, boys," he calls to them. The twins look at each other, one with big, worried eyes, the other with a comforting look.

It's three o'clock in the morning on a Sunday. Who could possibly be at the door?

Faint voices can be heard, then the soft click of the door shutting. Jake wastes no time standing up, sensing that something is off. Something is terribly wrong.

"Come on, Thomas." Jacob motions for his younger brother to stand up, grabbing his cell phone sitting on the table and walking towards the screen door. The two make their way outside of the house and into the backyard. Jake closes the screen door, pulls the glass door over it, and quickly blends into the shadows with Tommy.

"What's wrong, Jake?" Thomas whispers. Jacob chews on his lip, typing something in his phone. The atmosphere is suffocating.

"Thomas—" He suddenly drops his phone and Thomas catches it, thanks to his quick reflexes.

"Jake?" The younger frowns, backing up. Jake suddenly collapses, revealing a figure in black. Thomas continues to carefully back up, hiding his brother's cell phone behind his back.

"Who are you?" he asks, keeping his voice low and calm. The figure suddenly lunges, only giving Thomas time to cover his face with his left wrist, which gets sliced by a knife covered in his brother's blood. He can hear Jacob say something.

"What?" Thomas dodges another slice, quickly moving to the side to sweep the feet out from under the person in black. They fall to the ground, but make a swift slice to the dark-haired boy's ankle, causing him to wince and stumble, falling onto his bottom. The dark figure is up on their feet in a flash, holding the knife drenched in the twins' blood, looming menacingly over Thomas. He shuts his eyes tightly.

"Why don't you tell me all about it later, Jake?" Jacob watches with wide eyes.

The figure in black suddenly jolts, looks behind themselves, and quickly disappears into the shadows. Tommy holds onto his right wrist, feeling a bone sticking out. Jake's shallow breathing worries him as he slowly makes his way towards his brother, lying in a pool of his own bright crimson blood.

The glass door slides open, startling Jake and Tommy.

"Hello? Is any—" In a flash, a young man in an officer uniform is on his cell phone, kneeling in front of the identical twins. He talks quickly into the phone, then shuts it, looking over the boys with gentle eyes.

"Naohito?" Jake murmurs as the small brunette kneels next to him, carefully to steer clear of the blood.

"Help is on the way, kiddo." Thomas glances at Jacob's cell phone which had fallen out of his grip.

"999" is on the screen.

"Did Jake call you?" Naohito nods.

"Since I was posted around this area, the police department sent me." Thomas finds comfort in the light, warm touches around his injured ankle as Naohito fusses over him.

"…My father?" The older male positions Thomas's left leg, laying it flat against the soft grass.

"I'm sorry." He looks straight into the sea-green eyes of the boy. Tommy nods, looking at Jake.

"At least we're alive."


	2. Jake Berkeley's Past

**Hey, guys. So I decided that I'm going to rewrite the whole story, taking care of trying not to confuse you. I've noticed I've been rushing through chapters lately, and that's not cool. I'm sorry about that. - Makoto**

**_Disclaimer_ : I DO NOT own Fruits Basket. But I DO own Jacob, Thomas, Arthur and Annabelle.  
**

* * *

_Jake Berkeley's Past_

Jacob sighs tiredly, trudging his way to school. He adjusts the collar of his school uniform's white dress shirt and pulls the cuffs over his purple wrists. When he woke up to see that his mother had gone to work, well, to say that he was relieved is an understatement.

"Good morning, young man," a police officer greets the weary boy. Jake immediately straightens up, gripping the strap of his messenger bag.

"Good morning to you as well, Officer," he says back politely. As he walks by, he can't help but notice that this certain officer looks very young under the shadow of his cap. The officer's height is a sight to see as well.

Sharp caramel eyes watch as this teenage boy walks by. Officer Naohito Sakuragi has noticed this boy always comes this way as he goes to school, and that he always looks tired, as he does now. Naohito knows that, as an officer, he shouldn't be meddling in affairs that he can't see, but he couldn't help it.

Before he goes onto the school campus, Jake makes sure that his thick ebony hair is covering the newly forming bump on the side of his head, right above his ear. He winces, accidentally touching it.

"Hello, Jake." The dark-haired boy startles slightly at the soft voice.

"Oh, hello, Thomas," he greets his identical twin. Jake feels like he's looking in a mirror. Except this mirror is a view into an alternate universe. He forces a smile and walks forward, not really wanting to face his little brother.

Thomas watches as his big brother walks away with sad sea-green eyes, exactly the same shade as Jake's own eyes.

"Thomas, hurry up or we'll be late for maths!" his friend exclaims, tugging him in the opposite direction of Jake.

"Right. Sorry," Thomas says, laughing slightly. "Could you let go of me now? My arm feels like its about to fall off."

* * *

Jake rubs his arms, trying to warm them up because of the sudden drop in the temperature during the school day. The sky is grey, covered with ominous clouds threatening to pelt rain down on London soon. He breathes out, watching as his breath takes the form of a white cloud.

The green-eyed boy notices the same police officer standing at his post. Jake wonders if he was standing there the whole time while school was going on. It's three o'clock in the afternoon, and the boy gives the officer credit, if so.

"Afternoon," Naohito says. Jake stops.

"I don't mean to sound rude, but you look pretty young to be a police officer, sir."

"Rude? I'll take that as a compliment," the officer says, pushing up his cap. Jake startles slightly. This man looks about the same age as himself with his slightly tousled copper hair and warm caramel eyes. He raises an eyebrow.

"Don't call me 'sir'. It makes me feel older," he says. "Why don't you call me Naohito? Nao, if you please."

"Naohito…" Jake tests the name on his tongue. "Are you native to London?" The officer's accent is "American", but his name definitely isn't.

"Yes, I am. Now, if you don't mind me asking, but what is your name, young man?" Jake freezes slightly. How would Mum react if he told his name to a police officer? She wouldn't be happy, and when Mum isn't happy, the results aren't pretty and usually show up on the dark-haired boy.

"U-um…" Jake stutters.

"Just your first name would be fine," Nao says.

"Then Jacob," the boy replies to the officer's earlier question.

"Would Jake be fine as well?"

"Perfectly fine, Naohito."

"Great." Nao smiles. "Jake, it is a pleasure to meet you. I'll see you tomorrow morning."

"The pleasure is all mine…" Jake says with a nod. He suddenly realizes that he had lost track of time and checks his watch, forgetting about covering up his wrist.

It's almost four o'clock, and Mum comes home at six o'clock. Jake will need to do his homework, clean up their apartment and cook dinner in two hours. Two hours. That's not very much time. He lets out a sigh.

"I'm sorry, but I'll be taking my leave," he says, pulling his sleeve back down. "I'll see you tomorrow, Nao."

As Jake walks away, Naohito has the image of his bruised wrist etched into his memory. That can't just be an accident. The only thing that would cause swelling like that is a harsh grip, or something wrapped tightly around it.

Nao watches as a few people walk by, giving them a smile and nod.

* * *

Jake goes into his room and places his messenger bag on the floor. He quickly changes out of his school uniform and into a white v-neck and jean capris. The black-haired boy is about to leave the comfort of his room, but realizes how cold it is and throws on a hoodie. He grabs his bag and takes it to the small circular dining table.

Quickly, he takes out his homework and starts on it, glancing at his watch.

_4:01_

Jake has homework for only a couple of subjects, thank goodness, so he finishes everything in half an hour. He sighs, putting all his books and binders and papers away, shoving his bag next to the sofa.

The dark-haired boy grabs a garbage bag from the cabinet under the sink, picking up any trash on the floor, glass bottles lying around and articles of clothing (all of which are his mother's), which he throws into the hamper.

Their apartment is a lovely, large enough to hold three people and is modern-looking with a leather sofa, glass dining table and a nice view of London.

If only Mum didn't trash the place, Jake thinks. She could at least take care of something that _doesn't_ breath. The only thing keeping the apartment in pristine condition is Jake himself. After vacuum cleaning, wiping down the windows and taking out the trash, the green-eyed boy checks his watch again.

_5:29_

He goes into the small kitchen to start dinner, something quick and easy. Something that'll be done before Mum comes home.

Jake leans on the free space of counter next to the stove, thinking about the police officer he met. Naohito. He knows that Nao has been at that post for at least a couple of months now. They would say short greetings and Jake would be on his jolly way. The dark-haired boy never really paid Nao any mind since his parents had just divorced, causing him to have a lot of thoughts clouding his mind. But now…

"Why is he suddenly all friendly?" Jake wonders aloud, placing his chin on a palm while looking out the window to London and its gorgeous lights. He frowns, standing up and stirring a delicious-smelling soup in a metal pot. Jake enjoys the hot steam that warms his fair cheeks as it floats into the air vent.

"I'm home!" Jake grits his teeth, turning off the stove and checking his watch.

_5:44_

Mum is home early, he thinks, going to greet his mother.

Annabelle Marlowe is a beautiful woman of forty-four years, her short, wavy honey-blonde hair barely brushing against her shoulders and her big sea-green eyes kind.

"Hello, Jake, dear," she says, bringing her son into a bone-crushing hug. Jake bites on the inside of his cheek, before saying,

"Hello, Mother." He literally has to strain out the words, and when she releases him, Jake inhales shallowly as to not show his mother one emotion she loves: pain. She smiles, taking off her coat.

"Have you cleaned? Got dinner ready?"

"Yes, I have," Jake says with a forced smile. "I hope you enjoy what I have made." Annabelle laughs.

"I'm sure I will."

* * *

Mum always drinks scotch with dinner, and Jake hates it when she does. Her breath reeks from it; he has learned to hate the smell. She claims that "as a nurse, I have a rough time", but Jake knows that she's just addicted to the stuff.

And that's how he ends up with yet another bruise in his side from a harsh kick, her complaining that Arthur Berkeley is an idiot and that she'll be damned if she goes back to him. It's all his and Thomas's fault. Maybe if they weren't born, she and Dad would be a happy couple.

A rough stomp to his already bruised left wrist. Jake grits his teeth again.

Another sharp kick to his bruised side. A nice kick to his thigh, the one that had got socked by a softball in physical education. He exhales slowly, and it helps for just a second. She laughs hysterically.

Jake braces himself as she kicks his shoulder, causing a cracking sound to echo around the apartment. He trembles slightly. She didn't break his shoulder, but she probably dislocated it.

She gives the dark-haired boy a disgusted look, kicking his back.

"You worthless piece of scum. Why did Arthur get Thomas?" He stays silent, wrapping his hand loosely around his upper arm. "You know what, Jacob?" She sneers at the boy.

"Thomas is a wonderful young man with a bright future in front of him. Outstanding grades, great at sports, kind, considerate." She kneels down next to Jake, and roughly jostles his dislocated shoulder. His fingers dig into the already purple and blue flesh of his upper arm.

"And you. I get _you_. Pathetic, weak, good-for-nothing Jacob. You don't even try, do you? What's in front of you? All I see is darkness." She leans over Jake, her voice low.

"Why don't you go die. You'd do your family a favor. In fact, nobody would notice if you just happened to..._disappear_." Mum raises the bottle in her hand above Jake's head. He lies there limply, not bothering to protect himself.

"Did you love Dad that much?" Jake asks. She never gave him answers when they did divorce, but he feels like asking now. "If you love him so much, you would have killed Thomas and me long ago. What's holding you back, Mum?" He doesn't even look at her. Just at what's ahead of him; the kitchen counter. The lights above the dining table are blinding, but Jake sees her lower the bottle out of the corner of his eye. She grips his upper arm tightly.

"Because you and Thomas are his life." Jake keeps lying there with a blank look in his sea-green eyes. "If I killed both of you, I'd kill him."

"Mum." He sits up and her hand limply falls to her side. "Why did you divorce him?"

"Same answer as before, of course." Jake stands up.

"Then we're just mistakes. I feel a little better now." And he does.

* * *

That doesn't mean he feels better in the morning, when he wakes up at 4 o'clock sharp. Jake rubs his eyes and shoves his blankets off of himself. Even the burning hot shower he had taken last night hadn't made all the pain go away. His shoulder hurts so much, as well as his sides and his right upper arm and back. Jake had popped it back into place and put bandages to hold it, but that doesn't mean that the sharp aching goes away.

He exhales through his nose as he slowly stands up from bed, literally feeling all of his joints creaking and groaning. Because of all his never-ending injuries, Jake always stretches in the morning, so when he walks to school, he doesn't look like he rode a horse for ten hours straight.

Getting his uniform on is painful enough, and he's happy to see that Mum isn't home. Jake quickly whips up breakfast and eats it, while reading a book.

He sighs, catching sight of the bruises on his wrists. He'll have to keep those covered up. On the bright side, the other injuries won't be so hard to conceal.

On his way to school, once again, Jake makes sure that the bruises on his wrists aren't visible and fiddles with the cuffs of his dress shirt. The sky is still grey, but the ground is wet from last night's rain.

"Do you always have trouble with your uniform?" Naohito asks as Jake stops in front of him.

"Problem? I rarely have the time to get ready," the boy says. The young officer studies the other male.

"Fair enough. Oh, and Jake," he says before the teenager can walk away.

"Yes?"

"You're strong," is all Nao says. Jake gives him a curious look.

"Go now, or you'll be late for school," chides the young man lightly.

"Okay…" The dark-haired boy walks away, gripping the strap of his messenger bag.

No one has ever told him that before.


	3. Chapter 2 : The Requital Assassination

**Hey, guys! I'm back with some more "Mysteries Unsolved". Trying my hardest with this rewrite! - Makoto**

_**Disclaimer**_** : ****I DO NOT own Fruits Basket. Jake, Tommy and Arthur are still mine (I hope).**

* * *

_The Requital Assassination, Part 2_

Naohito investigates the house right after Thomas and Jacob are whisked off to the hospital in an ambulance. He tugs at his gloves, starting at where the boys' father lays. In other words, the crime scene.

The redhead feels terrible. Especially since Arthur had recently gotten custody of Jake. After a wonderful beating, the dark-haired boy is left an orphan. Thomas as well. Poor things.

A handsome man, it's obvious that the twins take after Arthur Berkeley. His body lies in the middle of the kitchen; lifeless sea-green eyes staring up at the ceiling, dark hair framing his deadly pale face. What was once a loving and caring father is now just a pile of flesh and bone.

Shards of razor-sharp glass litters the floor around the area of Arthur's outstretched hand; if you look closely, the clear handle of something hanging off of his fingers can be seen. Lake Jasmine has recently been formed near the counter, soaking part of the victim's hand, as well as most of the pieces of glass.

Naohito walks around the body, taking care of not kicking Arthur's other arm.

_'He could've been attacked in the kitchen while drinking tea.'_

_'No; that can't be it. How would the culprit have gotten inside the house without either the boys or Arthur noticing? They must've come through the front door, and someone must've answered this. Probably Arthur.'_

_'Then how does the tea play into this?'_

The redhead jumps, hearing the sharp slap of plastic hitting the wooden floor in the otherwise silent room.

Cautiously, Nao leans down to pick up the fallen object on the floor. A small white bottle had rolled into the tea and left a messy trail in its wake. He gingerly turns it around, running into a label.

Sleeping pills.

Naohito bites the inside of his cheek. He puts the pills back onto the counter top and makes his leave to the nearby hospital.

* * *

"Hello, how may I help you, Officer?" A friendly woman sitting behind the counter smiles. Naohito smiles politely in return, his expression slightly strained.

"May I see Thomas and Jacob Berkeley? I have a few things I'd like to ask them." She nods, standing up.

"Follow me." The woman leads him down a hallway with blank white walls and floors, stopping and gesturing towards the correct door among many doors on the right side of the wall.

"Thank you." Nao steps into the room and looks at the scene in front of himself. Thomas is sitting in a chair, reading a book, while Jake lies in a hospital bed, hooked up to an IV, fiddling with his hospital bracelet. A TV is on in front of and above Jake's bed, where he can see it clearly without leaning back too far.

Jake drags his attention away from the strip of paper wrapped around his wrist, and to Naohito.

"Hello, Nao," he greets. Thomas looks up and shuts his book, placing it on the table next to himself, cradling his right arm donned in a cast. Both look fine, much to the redhead's relief. Although Jake looks a bit on the ghostly side.

Nao pulls up a chair and sits next to the older twin's bed.

"I'd like to ask you both a couple of questions."

"Ask away." Thomas flexes his cramped right ankle, stretching it out; the left one has a bandages wrapped around it.

"...Did someone visit you early this morning?" Nao asks, taking out a small notebook and pen from his coat pocket.

"Yes, at around three o'clock this morning. Jake and I were up studying, and Dad was in living room; he was the one who answered the door," Thomas replies. The copper-haired officer nods, jotting that down. He was right; Arthur was the one who had answered the door.

"Did you see the culprit's identity? Any features?" Thomas leans back in his chair.

"Not that I know of. They were all dressed in black."

"Tommy kicked their ankle, so there could be a bruise left," Jake says, turning the hospital bracelet on his wrist with his hand.

"Your mother, Annabelle Marlowe, works here as a nurse, correct?" Naohito asks, remembering looking up information about Jake and his mother a couple of weeks ago. The noirette nods, shifting in his bed. The officer hates to bring her up, but he has to, especially when she's related to Arthur and the twins.

"She works in the clinic area, not the hospital," Jake adds.

"Did she come to see you two yet?"

"No..." Nao taps his pen against his cheek. Surely this attack would've been on the local news by now. Even so, she would've been contacted by the police about her ex-husband and her sons.

The redhead thinks for a moment. Jake was the one who was closest to Annabelle.

"Jake, did your mother ever do or say anything...peculiar?" Said boy looks thoughtfully at Nao. Not exactly his face, more like...his hand?

"I remember she said that Thomas and I are Dad's 'life'. If something happened to us, something would happen to him." Sharp caramel eyes study Jake's face. The boy blinks, looking into Naohito's eyes with dull sea-green eyes. The officer looks away.

"Thank you for letting me pester you two." He stands up and goes over to ruffle Thomas's dark locks, earning a childish grin. Nao hesitates slightly before taking Jake's hand. To his immense surprise, all the boy does is smile. Doesn't flinch, back away, hit him. Nothing. In fact, Jake's fingers curl gently around his slightly smaller palm before the redhead pulls his hand away.

"Take care, Tommy, Jake." He leaves the room, left to wonder what is going through Jake's mind right now.

* * *

Policemen and women are swarming outside of the Berkeley residence as Naohito climbs the stairs into the house. He figures the detectives assigned to this case are inside already. And he's not surprised to see two familiar detectives looking around the kitchen.

"Hey," Nao greets, watching Kakeru and Yuki walking around the kitchen, looking at everything closely. Both quickly whip towards the entrance, their shoulders tensed, obviously on edge.

"Hey, Nao," Kakeru greets, relaxing at the sight of the redhead. Yuki leans against the kitchen counter, looking tired. His eyes are slightly narrowed behind black-framed glasses, still adjusting to the bright kitchen light.

"Did you guys find anything?" Nao asks, and Kakeru immediately frowns.

"Besides the obvious? No."

"Did the medical examiners come by?"

"Yeah, they're working on it," Yuki replies this time, and the officer is surprised he can even speak, much less stand. Kakeru snickers slightly, giving his best friend a light push. Yuki focuses his narrowed eyes on the dark-haired man.

To Nao, they're background noise as he wonders why the twins were injured. The crime scene looks like a typical suicide, so what do Jake and Tommy have anything to do with it?

He sighs warily, watching as Kakeru shrugs with a grin on his face, while Yuki stands up straighter, his eyes looking a lot more alert. They'll just have to wait until they get results from the autopsists.

Naohito resists the urge to yawn. He has been up since early in the morning, standing at his post, but the redhead doesn't really mind, especially since it's so close to his apartment.

"How are the boys?" Kakeru asks, breaking the younger man out of his dazed train of thoughts.

"They're in stable condition." Nao hesitates, wondering if it would be better to hear the answer or not. He decides that yes, it would be better to hear the answer. "Do they have relatives around the area?"

"Yeah; an auntie and an uncle," Kakeru replies, looking at Nao with very dark brown eyes. "We'll have to see if they're willing to take the twins in. ...Harsh luck, huh."

"Harsh luck…" Naohito repeats in a dazed manner. More like "harsh purpose".


	4. Chapter 3 : The Requital Assassination

**Hey, guys! I'm here with some more "Mysteries Unsolved". Thanks for all of you who have stayed with me since the horrible beginning! Haha. - Makoto**

_**Disclaimer **_**: I DO NOT own Fruits Basket. What I DO own is Jake, Thomas, Arthur, and Annabelle.**

* * *

_The Requital Assassination, Part 3_

Nao isn't exactly the most patient person in the world, even more so when he's tired. He starts getting snappy with Kakeru and Yuki after a while of standing around, so they leave him alone until the medical examiners arrive.

When Kakeru goes over to tell Nao that the medical examiners are here, the small redhead hisses cattily at him, causing the older man to run back to Yuki, who looks amused, mock crying. He sighs, watching them wearily.

"Officer," one of the autopsists calls Naohito over, "it seems like we've found something." The redhead walks over to the kneeling man, who is pulling a cover over Arthur's body.

"What is it?" he asks, leaning over and putting his hands on his knees.

"On Mr. Berkeley's neck, I found a small hole," the autopsist says, and Nao furrows his brow. "He was injected by a syringe. Seems like potassium cyanide was what got him."

"Great. Thank you." Naohito stands back up stiffly, keeping his caramel gaze on Arthur's covered body. He frowns, turns around and is about to walk away,

"Oh, and Officer." Nao turns back around.

"Yes?" he asks softly.

"There's the scent of chloroform on his nose and mouth." Naohito nods, walking away from the autopsist and Arthur.

Potassium cyanide, chloroform, the pills, the twins—all the evidence contradicts itself! He leans against a counter, feeling confused and frustrated.

Nao jumps back when shockingly cold fingertips press firmly against his forehead.

"You're getting really pale, Nao," Kakeru says, actually looking concerned. A blue moon must be tonight.

"Will you stop that!" Naohito bursts out, scowling, shoving the dark-haired male away from himself. His skin usually takes on an unnatural ghostly shade when he thinks too much, or stresses out about something. Which is often.

"What's wrong, Nao?" Yuki asks, coming up from behind Kakeru.

"Never mind!" the redhead says, turning around abruptly, stopping at the entrance of the kitchen. "I'm going to the hospital. There's one person I haven't questioned yet." His voice cracks at the end of his sentence.

* * *

"What can I do for you, Officer?" the young man sitting at the front desk of the pediatric clinic asks.

"I'd like to speak to Ms. Annabelle Marlowe," Naohito says in an impossible tight voice. He tries to be polite, but it's really hard to be right at this moment in time.

"Of course," the young man says. His movements are urgent as he picks up the phone on his desk, mutters something into it, then hangs up. He offers a comforting smile.

"She'll be out in a couple." Nao nods, turning away. He pauses, turning back around.

"Does she have a punch card?" The man doesn't say anything and stands up, going over to a spot on the wall next to a door near the front desk. He comes back with a piece of cardboard with holes in it.

"The only way to get into the offices in the back is to use a punch card," he explains, handing Naohito the card. The officer observes it.

"No key and lock?" The young man shakes his head.

"Nope. It's like a hotel room."

"Is there a master card?"

"No. The hospital makes it that way so that if one of the employees comes in, they need to use their punch card. They aren't about to have any unlawful people working here."

"Right. Thank you very much," Naohito says, pocketing the punch card, and the man nods with a smile. The redhead goes to stand next to a glass window looking over London. He twists a piece of copper hair, thinking about the twins' situation.

'_I'll have to ask Kakeru if he's seen a record coming from either the auntie or the uncle.'_ Nao thinks for a moment. '_I must be crazy to be starting on this but_—' He whips around at the light tap on his shoulder, coming face to face with Jake's mother; his thoughts interrupted.

"Hello, Ms. Marlowe."

"Greetings, Officer…"

"Sakuragi."

"How unusual. Are you from around here?"

"Sorry, ma'am, but I'll be asking the questions," Naohito says, his voice firm. Annabelle nods.

"Follow me." She leads him out of the clinic area and into a hallway with glass lining the right side, the left side having a couple doors every several steps. The blond woman stops in front of a door, opening it. Raised firmly and strictly by two older sisters, Naohito politely takes the door from her and holds it open for her.

It's a meeting room with a large, oval-shaped table sitting in the middle with several chairs neatly and equally spaced around it. Nao feels his stomach twist slightly and his throat tightens, making it hard to breath properly.

Annabelle takes a seat at the end of the table, and he does the same right next to her, so that they're diagonal from each other.

"Did you visit Jake and Tommy?" Nao asks right off the bat. "They're just in the hospital, you know."

"Oh, my poor boys," she says, looking down slightly. "Who could have hurt them?" The redhead feels his stomach twist into a tighter knot.

"That depends." She had completely avoided his question. Nao purses his lips. "Jake and Tommy told me that you never visited them, but I've been gone for an hour or so. Have you seen them then?"

"No," she finally answers. So she hasn't visited them yet. That makes him feel uneasy.

"Where exactly where were you at three o'clock this morning?"

"At my apartment." Annabelle's answers are short and sweet. Nao observes her closely, and as he does so, her green eyes flit to his, then quickly away.

"I suggest you don't lie, Ms. Marlowe." She smiles.

"But I'm not." Naohito frowns.

"Just a friendly suggestion," he says, pulling out the punch card. "You never know when a police officer might have evidence that contradicts your alibi." Her expression doesn't change, but he notices her skin turn a shade lighter.

"It looks like you came to the hospital at two o'clock in the morning. Why?" Naohito asks.

"I needed to do some charting for work that was due today," Annabelle replies.

"That's pretty early in the morning."

"I'm dedicated to my job." Nao brushes away copper locks tickling his ears, watching at how she shifts in chair.

"What about at three thirty? You came back here again," he says. "The twins told me that someone had visited them and Arthur Berkeley around three o'clock. I noticed it only takes ten minutes to walk to their residence."

"Are you implying something, young man?" she asks, obviously agitated by all of his statements. Naohito nods.

"Yeah. I am. I'm implying that I think you're the murderer."

"And how did you come to that conclusion?"

"I know Jake well," is all he says, and that's all it takes her to freeze completely.

"Is that all?"

"Isn't that enough?" Nao asks, even though he know it isn't. Although her body language is giving a lot away. He's got more evidence up his sleeves, and she's got a motive up hers. He'll just have to take a different approach.

Annabelle suddenly lets a laugh burst out, a hint of hysteria detected by the ever-so observant Naohito.

"I help people and children for a living," she says. "Is it wise to make a suspect out of me, Mr. Sakuragi?" Naohito shifts so that he's sitting on one of his legs.

"It doesn't matter if you won the Nobel Peace Prize; you're still a suspect," he says. "Something tells me you didn't come here that early in the morning to do work."

"What proof do you have?"

"I was told there was something injected into Arthur's neck. Potassium cyanide. I know in England they have some in their labs." He pauses. "And I'm pretty sure they have syringes in a clinic, especially with little kiddies running around here." He continues on. "Chloroform doesn't seem to be rare around here either." Annabelle cackles.

"What? Is that all?" She's egging him on. Nao exhales, his palms getting clammy.

"Why would someone go after the twins without a motive? They could've just killed Arthur and left it at that, but they attacked Thomas and Jacob as well." He scoots his chair back slowly. "Or they could've just snuck through the back door and killed the boys, and left Arthur alone. Why go after both?"

Annabelle's skin is deadly pale, and he can tell she's starting to sweat; nervous energy is radiating off of her. Nao remembers what Jake had said.

"Maybe because this person know how dear Tommy and Jake were to him." Annabelle looks at the redhead, smiling sweetly as if she wasn't acting like a mad hatter just a couple of seconds ago.

"Arthur probably had somebody warming his bed."

"Don't you dare talk about Dad that way!" The blonde woman whips around, while Nao's eyes immediately shoot towards the entrance of the meeting room.

"Jake, what are you doing out of bed?" the redhead asks sharply. Jake looks scared.

"I-I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean to interrupt. It's just that...Tommy and I just got discharged, and we're not really sure where to go, and I thought I'd ask Mum if we have relatives around here, since, you know," he says quickly, his sea-green eyes apologetic. Nao instantly feels bad for snapping at the poor boy.

"Jake, dear, it's so good to see you!" Annabelle stands up. Jake backs away as his mother advances towards him.

"Get away!" he shrieks fearfully. Naohito furrows his brow, eyeing the boy.

"Hey, hey!" Nao stands up as well, grabbing onto her upper arm. "I don't think you should—" Annabelle suddenly sinks to her knees, a couple of feet away from a terrified-looking Jake, who is leaning on the door behind himself.

"I'm so sorry, sweetheart…" the blonde woman says, burying her face in her hands. "I'm so sorry that I killed your father…" Jake's panicky expression turns to one very dark and sinister. Unforgiving. But he stays silent.

Nao takes out handcuffs from his belt, bringing Annabelle's wrists together. He never expected Tommy to come to his rescue.

"Maybe motherhood just wasn't for you." The final sound of metal clicking is heard.


End file.
